Parameters and Arguments

Python functions can accept arguments in several ways, providing flexibility in how functions are called. Positional arguments are matched by position in the function call. Keyword arguments are specified by parameter name, allowing arguments to be passed in any order. Default parameter values allow parameters to be optional - if not provided, the default value is used. Variable-length argument lists (*args) allow functions to accept any number of positional arguments, which are collected into a tuple. Keyword argument dictionaries (**kwargs) allow functions to accept any number of keyword arguments, collected into a dictionary. These mechanisms can be combined, but must appear in this order: positional arguments, *args, keyword arguments, **kwargs. Understanding these different argument types allows you to write flexible functions that can handle various calling patterns and make your APIs more user-friendly.